Investing In Our Future

The 24-month structured scheme, recently confirmed as one of Australia’s top 10 graduate programs by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers for the third year in a row, is targeted towards high potential university leavers looking to fast-track their career.

It is designed to give graduates a comprehensive overview of the business and the construction industry in general, setting them up with the skills and experience they need to progress to senior roles within the organisation.

The GDP is made up of three main streams:  Project Engineering (Mechanical/Electrical/Civil) Construction Management; and Commercial Management General Manager of Human Capital & Corporate Affairs Josh Murray said Laing O’Rourke is extremely proud of its award-winning approach to selecting and nurturing new talent.

“Through the GDP, we embrace Graduates as highly valued members of the business and provide them with the opportunity to work across a variety of exciting projects, functions, sectors and regions within our diverse organisation – allowing them to help win, plan and deliver some of the country’s most exciting infrastructure projects,” Mr Murray said.

“We are now looking for enthusiastic applicants for the 2017 intake. They will receive intense support and career development on the path to an exciting career in the national and international infrastructure, building and engineering sectors.”

Applications can be submitted here and are open until 24 April 2016.

BEHIND THE SCENES

We talked to two of our recent graduates and asked them to give us an insight into the opportunities and personal goals it made possible.

Brooke Simmons was part of the 2014 GDP cohort and successfully completed the two year course in December last year. She has now joined the 100 Mount Street delivery team as a Digital Engineer.

How would you describe your experience on the Laing O’Rourke Graduate Development Programme?

It was an awesome learning experience and full of surprises. I got to try out quite a few different roles – mostly ones I hadn’t ever considered as career options whilst I was studying engineering – and I was surprised by what I enjoyed, what I didn’t enjoy and what I learnt.

By working with a range of people and teams in different environments and different states (or territories) I was exposed to different ways of thinking and different ways of managing varying scenarios. The GDP was also a lot of fun and the development days with the rest of the grad cohorts were a definite highlight.

What was the biggest challenge you faced over the two years?

I think one of the biggest challenges I faced was extracting myself from a team each time my rotation ended. It takes a while, usually a few weeks, to feel like you are actually adding value in a new role and then after a few months in a rotation or on a project you can really become a valuable part of the team.

People are used to relying on you and the knowledge you have accrued in relation to your role and then they don’t want to let you go! Most of my teams joked that I was ‘abandoning’ them and the project would fall apart without me there. Trying to conduct handovers and to stop more work landing on my plate in my last week of a rotation wasn’t always easy.

Would you recommend the programme to others?

For sure! It’s a great way to get an understanding of the many parts of the business and to meet people. As they say- you don’t need to know all the answers, you just need to know who to call to find the answers. The GDP sets you up well for that! Plus I think it gives you a well-rounded understanding of the different facets of project delivery and what the other members of your team are doing which sets you up to be more successful in whatever role you move into after the grad programme.

Angela Wu is part of the current cohort of graduates and is more than half way through the programme. She completed her first rotation on the Ichthys Tanks project in Darwin and is currently based in North Sydney working in Legal.

What attracted you to the Laing O’Rourke Graduate Development Programme?

The dynamic structure of the Programme was definitely one of the main contributors. As a graduate fresh out of university, with little certainty in which career path to pursue, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to gain exposure to various parts of the business.

I also appreciated that the programme offered a Commercial Management stream which I am currently pursuing.

What advice would you give someone thinking about applying to be a part of next year’s cohort?

Jump in, take on every challenge and meet as many people as you can along the way.

What has been the highlight of your experience on the programme so far?

Prior to the Programme I had very little site experience. Within my first week on the job I found myself in the middle of Darwin on one of the biggest projects of the business!

Without a doubt it was a daunting experience at first and the learning curve was steep. However I was lucky to have a very supportive team who helped me push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I knew the Programme would afford me with some very exciting opportunities and so far it has exceeded expectations.